Williams & Russell
The Williams & Russell project is a collaborative effort between Williams & Russell Community Development Corporation, Prosper Portland, the Portland Housing Bureau, and Emmanuel Legacy Health. The $120 million Williams & Russell reparative development will breathe new life into a 1.7-acre site at North Russell Street and North Williams Avenue.
About the Project
The Williams & Russell project is a collaborative effort between Williams & Russell Community Development Corporation (CDC), Prosper Portland, the Portland Housing Bureau, and Emmanuel Legacy Health.
The $120 million Williams & Russell reparative development will breathe new life into a 1.7-acre site at North Russell Street and North Williams Avenue. Led by Williams & Russell CDC and commercial development partner Adre, this project will provide 85 affordable one- to three-bedroom units including a cultural-specific daycare on the first floor, 20 townhomes for ownership, and a 30,000-square-foot Business Hub to support entrepreneurs, workforce development and community organizations.
This site sits in the heart of a neighborhood that was once home to hundreds of Black families before it was condemned in the 1970s for hospital expansion. That decision, led by the City of Portland and the Portland Development Commission (now Prosper Portland), displaced 171 families—74 percent of them African American—to make way for Emanuel Hospital’s campus growth. After the planned hospital expansion did not take place, the property remained vacant for the next five decades.
In 2017 Prosper Portland, the Portland Housing Bureau, and the Mayor’s Office started a focused discussion with community leaders about the future of this property. Those conversations led to the formation the community-elected Williams & Russell Project Working Group, and ultimately, the formation of Williams & Russell CDC in 2021. Williams & Russell CDC’s mission is to restore and revitalize Portland’s historically Black Albina neighborhood, once a vibrant economic center for Black Portlanders.
On Friday, February 28, 2025, Williams & Russell broke ground on this project, with completion expected in 2028. In addition to Prosper Portland’s ongoing support of this project, the agency is providing a $10 million forgivable loan to Williams & Russell CDC to fund remediation efforts at the site and the construction of the planned Business Hub.
